Diablo Cody has a lot of awards: an Independent Spirit, a BAFTA, and — oh, right — that Best Screenplay Oscar for Juno. Receiving them sounds like a pretty good career move, but Cody takes a different approach to her success. "I don't recommend it to anybody starting out. Writing a follow-up to a movie that wins an Oscar is very scary." Before young screenwriters heed her advice, however, they may want to consult Cody's subsequent career, which includes writing Young Adult, which was nominated for a Golden Globe just now. We spoke to her about who else she'd like to see honored, including a certain lesser-known Olsen sister.—Anna Peele

"My personal award would absolutely go to Sean Durkin, who wrote and directed Martha Marcy May Marlene. I think he should be nominated for best writer and best director. I think it should be a best-picture nominee. John Hawkes is incredible. I'm attracted to him. Elizabeth Olsen should get nominated for best actress. I really am hoping to see a nomination for her, but I don't know if it's going to happen. I feel like some of these movies have so much more marketing muscle. It's just a small movie.

"It was the scariest movie of the year and it's not even really horror. I hadn't seen anything like it in a really long time. And I feel like even the best of films — the ones that come out at the end of the year — are often derivative. Or they seem like they're jockeying for awards. And this movie is not like that. This is pure artistic expression. It's haunting. It's beautifully shot. And it's a true indie. You know, these guys weren't working with a lot. It always impresses me when someone is able to accomplish something like that without a lot of money and without A-list actors."